Wednesday, November 29, 2017

The books I read this year
challenged me, comforted me, educated me, and filled me with joy. I took part
in the Harbor Springs Festival of the Book in September where I introduced
sixteen authors and heard many more speak. Reading their books broadened the
scope of what I usually read. Jessie Chaffee, the author of Florence in Ecstasy and one of the
Festival’s featured authors, furtherchallenged my reading habits. Jessie
introduced me to Words without Borders, a site promoting international
literature, http://www.wordswithoutborders.org/,
where she is an editor. My reading goal for 2018 is to read more international
literature and thus to expand my worldview. My first selection based on a
review on the Words without Borders site was Sweet Bean Paste, an endearing Japanese novel by Durian Sukegawa.
After reading it, I realized that this blog needed a new review category so I
added SBP to honor Sweet Bean Paste
for inspiring the addition. This
category will denote international books and translated books. I hope it
inspires you to read more contemporary international literature.May the following synopses of the
books I read this year help you choose titles to entertain, inform, test,
edify, and educate you and those you love. If you’d like to print the list for
your personal use, a pdf version appears in the pages section to the right or you
may email trinabookhungry@gmail.com for a printer-friendly word version.

Do yourself a favor this year, form
a relationship with the booksellers at your local independent bookstore. Talk
with them, tell them the books you’ve loved and those you found lacking.
They’re good at what they do and they’ll soon find titles just for you. They
might even save you money as you won’t buy books you don’t enjoy.

May your holidays be filled with books,

Trina

(The photograph is of a book tree my daughter created with books she found in one of my many bookcases. A Nancy Pearl action figure is the tree topper.)

Letters after each selection designate the book as CC:
Chinese Carryout (page-turners, great for plane rides), D: Desserts (delightful
indulgences), DC: Diet Coke and Gummi Bears (books for teens and young adults),
G: Gourmet (exquisite writing, requires concentration), GPR: Grandma’s Pot
Roast (books that get your attention and stick with you), GS: Grits (evocative
of the American south), OC: Over Cooked (good ingredients, but overwritten),
PBJ: Peanut Butter and Jelly (children’s books adults will like), PP: Pigeon
Pie (historical fiction set at least 50 years ago),R: Road Food (audio books for road trips and
more), S: Sushi with Green Tea Sorbet (satire, irony, black humor, acquired
taste), SBP: Sweet Bean Paste (translated and international books), SF: Soul
Food (spirituality, theology, books for your soul), SN: Super Nutrition (lots
of information, yet tasty as fresh blueberries), and T: Tapas (small bites
including short stories, novellas, essays, and poetry). The letters BC denote
books for book clubs.Asterisks (*)
depict the most outstanding titles in each designation. The plus sign (+) is
for books I recommend with some limitations. The number sign (#) is for books
with full reviews on my blog. All books listed were published in 2017 unless
noted otherwise.

General Fiction and Poetry

+Ball, Charlene, Dark Lady: a Novel of Emilia Bassano Lanyer depicts
the life and loves of an orphan who became a published poet in 1611.
Anglophiles will especially love this novel portraying the “Dark Lady” of
Shakespeare’s sonnets and her passionate and troubled relationship with the
Bard. Ball evocatively reveals Emilia Bassano Lanyer's time in Queen
Elizabeth’s court as the mistress of a nobleman. PP/SN

*#Backman, Fredrik, Beartownis
a wondrous tale of family, friendship, love, and hope packed with unique
characters. If you love hockey you’ll adore Beartown. If you don’t care
a whit about hockey, you’ll still love Beartown.I loved Backman’s A Man Called Ove,
but Beartown is a stronger book. It’s more nuanced, yet it has the heart
and humor that was the best of Ove. The tragedy at the heart of the novel is compelling because the
novel’s characters take root in the reader’s heart. The setting in an isolated
Swedish village adds to the intrigue and the narrator’s aphorisms enhance the
tale. It’s my choice for the best book of 2017! GPR/SBP/SF, BC

*Baume, Sara, Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither is
a heartbreaker about an isolated man on Ireland’s coast who begins to open to a
seriously injured, one-eyed dog he adopts. Seen through four elegiac seasons,
the novel’s language is pure poetry. Here’s a taste: “It’s at low tide that the
wading birds come. Oystercatchers with their startled eyes, redshanks scurrying
tetchily on strawberry legs, little egrets freshly laundered, whiter than
white.” Such sentences account for the novel’s critical acclaim and award
nominations. The book’s startling climax fits the unsettling atmosphere of the
entire tome. G/SBP (2016)

*Bennett, Brit, The Mothers inhabits
the lives of three 17-year-olds in a small, African-American, California
community. Nadia is grieving after her mother’s suicide. Best friend Aubrey
suffers from abuse and boyfriend Luke’s accident cost him his football career.
“The Mothers,” the church ladies of Luke’s father’s church, narrate and shape
their stories like an interfering Greek chorus. Exquisite writing. G/SF (2016)

Blume, Judy, In the Unlikely Event places
the reader in 1951 and 1952 Elizabeth, NJ where 118 people died in three
separate plane crashes near the Newark airport. The book shows the lives of
several teenagers at the time and how class, status, religion, and family had
an effect on their actions. My book club discussed this and we enjoyed how
Blume evoked the period and the pop culture of the time but felt there were too
many characters and contrivances for it to be a great novel. OC/SN, BC (2015)

+Boyne, John, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, In
1945 in a small Irish town, a parish priest denounces sixteen-year-old,
pregnant Catherine and banishes her. This novel, narrated by Cyril, the son
Catherine gave up, who was adopted by a wealthy couple, shows the evolution of
Ireland through Cyril and Catherine. Cyril escapes Ireland for decades and
lives openly as a gay man without fear of Irish laws.This 580-page odyssey’s
humor and passion elevate it. Named a “Great Group Read” by the Women’s
National Book Association for 2017, it’s perfect for book clubs. GPR/PP/SBP, BC

*Buntin, Julie, Marlena
is a beautifully composed elegy detailing Cat’s bond with Marlena in rural, northern
Michigan where alcohol, drugs, and meth wreaked havoc. Still damaged and
drinking heavily, Cat looks back as a married New York adult, viewing her year-long,
intense friendship with Marlena. The reader falls into Marlena’s downward
spiral and worries about Cat. This requiem of desperation is made bearable by
Buntin’s exquisite writing. G, BC

*#Butler, Nickolas, The Hearts of Men feels
like sitting around a campfire listening to stories with your buddies. It opens
in 1962 when Nelson, a thirteen-year-old boy with no friends, welcomes
Jonathan, a popular fifteen-year-old, into his life. Adventures at a northern
Wisconsin Boy Scout camp over the decades highlight the importance of being
brave, truthful, honest, and caring. It’s a wonder. Named a “Great Group Read”
by the Women’s National Book Association for 2017, it’s perfect for book clubs.
G/GPR, BC

+Chaffee, Jessie, Florence in Ecstasy is
an affecting debut novel. Hannah, a 29-year-old woman who’s lost her job and boyfriend
in Boston because of an eating disorder, attempts to escape her problems by
taking a long trip to Florence, Italy. She joins a rowing club, meets a kind
and charming Italian, and learns about saints who achieved religious ecstasy by
starving themselves. Always close to the edge, the novel explores the difficulties
of changing while remaining true to self. The honesty and beauty of the writing
make this a sharp, if sometimes, painful, novel. Chaffee is one to watch. G/SN,
BC

*Corthron, Kia, The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter
is a magnificent saga of 789 pages taking the reader from 1942 with two white
brothers in a small town in Alabama and two black brothers in a small town in
Maryland to revisiting their lives in 1959-60, 1983, and 2010. The horror of
the Ku Klux Klan is palpable and makes you feel what it might have been like in
the rural south. There’s so much here. The prose is pure perfection yet it
never interferes with the incredible characters or story. Stick with the unusual
language of the first 100 pages as the rest of the novel is more accessible. G/PP,
BC (2016)

*Dempsey, Joan, This Is How It Begins, the
2017 Poets & Writers Maureen Egen
Award winner is a page turner of buried secrets, free speech, and religious
bias focusing on Ludka, an 85-year-old artist whose grandson is one of many gay
teachers fired in Massachusetts on a single day for their intolerance toward Christian
students. Ludka’s past in WWII Poland, a lost painting, and a caring,
conservative radio host are a winning combination. A perfect book club choice
for these contentious times! GPR/PP/SN, BC

+Erdrich, Louise, LaRose, In
the summer of 1999, Landreaux Iron shoots a deer and inadvertently kills his
five-year-old nephew.Looking to ancient
native traditions for guidance, Landreaux convinces his wife to give their own
beloved five-year-old son, LaRose, to her half-sister’s family to somewhat settle
the score. As always, Erdrich illuminates love, loss, and justice with her own
miraculously invented microcosm of the world. A child shall lead us meets
native culture in a novel with much to ponder. G/SF/SN, BC (2016)

+Ford, Jamie, Love and Other Consolation Prizes is a
heart-warming romance set in 1901 and 1962 in Seattle. Ernest Young or “Young
Ernest” was sent by his dying Chinese mother to Seattle as she couldn’t feed
him and life for a half white and half Chinese boy would be hard. When he’s
auctioned to the highest bidder, he becomes a servant in a high class Seattle
brothel where he meets two girls he loves. GPR/PP

+Francis, David, The Great Inland Sea is an elegant, quiet novel. After his
mother dies, young Day leaves New South Wales to become the caretaker of a
racehorse that he accompanies to the U.S. He falls in love with a gritty
American girl who wants to become a jockey and finally returns to New South
Wales to reconcile with his past. G/SBP, BC

*Fridlund, Emily, History of Wolves is such an exquisitely honed symphony
of sentences that it almost defies belief that it’s a debut novel. Weaving an
eerily gothic tale, the book follows teenage Linda who lives with her parents
in a rundown former commune on a remote Minnesota lake. When the Gardner family
moves in across the lake, Linda is drawn to the mother as she babysits for
four-year-old Paul. Watching Linda’s observations is addictive in this
character-driven gem. The climax adds a touch of a suspense thriller with its
surprising twist. Man Booker Prize finalist G, BC

*Gay, Roxane, Difficult Women is a collection of gut-wrenching
short stories. “Florida” tells the story of several people in a gated
community. “La Negra Blanca” illustrates racial and sexual power and
intimidation. “North Country” features an African-American woman engineering
professor who takes a two-year position at Michigan Tech where everyone assumes
she’s from Detroit. These raw tales make us uncomfortable so we pay attention
as Gay’s prose enthralls us. Her words
made me gasp. “My husband’s family is religious. . . Their God is angry and
unkind because they made him in their image.” This profane, raw book of stories
contains some of the most astute sentences I’ve ever read. G/S/T, BC

+George, Alex, Setting Free the Kites features
two endearing adolescent boys who meet in 1976 when Nathan moves to a small
Maine town where Robert’s family owns a run-down amusement park. After tragedy
hits both their families, the boys’ friendship saves them. Reminiscent of the
quirky characters and setting of A Prayer
for Owen Meany, this is a touching coming-of-age novel that soars like a
kite. GPR, BC

+Godwin, Gail, Grief Cottage
illustrates the unseen impact of hidden grief and fear. After eleven-year-old
Marcus’s mother dies in an accident, he moves into a cottage on a South
Carolina island with his only relative who he’s never met. His Aunt Charlotte
often paints “Grief Cottage,” where a boy and his parents disappeared fifty
years previously in a hurricane. Marcus makes a daily pilgrimage to the cottage
seeking answers while Charlotte’s memories haunt her. Marcus is a sweet and
gripping character. GPR/SF, BC

*Habash, Gabe, Stephen Florida is
a small college wrestler who’s wrestling with the death of his parents and of
the grandmother who raised him after the accident that took his parents. He’s a
strange bird and his sense of justice is frightening as it’s coupled with his
arrested development and depression. Reminiscent of Bill Roorbach’s Life Among Giants and Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding, this is a
testosterone-infused coming-of-age gem for everyone. Fabulous writing and
insight. G/SN, BC

+Haigh, Jennifer, Heat & Light focuses
on the fracking boom in western Pennsylvania. Rich, a prison guard, leases
mineral rights so he can farm, but his water may now be poisoning his daughter
and the noise of the trucks disturb the peace. The book examines the fate of
drillers, activists, and local organic dairy farmers whose lives change. Good
writing keeps this from being preachy. GPR/SN (2016)

*Hamid,
Mohsin, Exit West, Wow,
Hamid, the author of The Reluctant
Fundamentalist, one of my all-time favorites, creates a world with doors instead
of borders, a world that makes the reader ponder so many “what-ifs.” Nadia and
Saeed fall in love in the midst of their country’s civil war and learn to enter
new worlds that challenge everything they’ve ever believed. As they are
transported to other countries, we see what could be but still is not. “We are
all migrants through time.” This novel shows how we each live as migrants even
when we choose to stay in our safe places where we ignore what’s around us. It
was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and the Kirkus Prize. G, BC

*Hartnett, Annie, Rabbit Cake, Elvis,
a precocious ten-year-old girl whose mother drowned while sleepwalking, tries
to cope with her grief while her father turns to a parrot for solace and her
fifteen-year-old sister’s problems mount as she bakes rabbit-shaped cakes. Man
Booker Prize longlist GPR/D, BC

Hepworth, Sally, The Things We Keep is
a surface portrait of two tough subjects. At 38, Anna has Alzheimer’s and has
moved into an assisted-living home where she meets Luke, a man near her age who
has a dementia that affects his speech. Will loving Luke dispel her desire to
die? Eve, a young widow whose former husband’s shenanigans leave her and
daughter Clementine penniless, works at the home and tries to help Anne and
Luke. Clementine is a bright spot in this less-than-fulfilling novel without
clearly defined characters. My book club discussed it with mixed reactions. OC
(2016)

*Honeyman, Gail, Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine could
be titled “a British Woman Called Ove.” Elinor is damaged and avoids human
connection until she can’t resist it. She’s 30 but acts like she’s 90 and is
prudish, clueless, cantankerous, and pig-headed AND you’ll love her. No
spoilers, just read it. D/GPR/SBP, BC

+Hood, Ann, The Book That Matters Most
is an ode to the healing power of books. After her 25-year marriage falls
apart, Ava joins a book club where each member is to tell about the book that
matters most to them, but Ava’s choice doesn’t seem to exist. Her quest to find
the book and reexamine the secrets in her past while connecting with the other
book club members is charming. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s a book many women
and their book clubs will adore. GPR/SN, BC

*Hubbard,
Ladee, The Talented Ribkins, Johnny
Ribkins has five days to pay off a debt or he’s in deep trouble. A masterful,
imaginative mapmaker, Johnny has buried money throughout Florida so he sets off
with a niece he didn’t know existed and catches up with people from his civil
rights activist past. A very wry take on race relations with a touch of magical
realism in an extraordinarily imaginative novel! It won the 2017 Ernest J.
Gaines Award. S/SN, BC

*Jackson,
Joshilyn, Almost Sisters is
the perfect escape read in that it quickly captures the reader then offers a
touch of romance along with great dialogue and a story that makes you think.
Leia is a well-known graphic artist and her Violence
and Violet tales are quite popular. Her concerns have to take a back seat
when her ninety-year-old grandmother needs her and her family seems to be
imploding. You may think this novel is fluff until the issues grab you. GPR/GS,
BC

Jenoff, Pam, The Orphan’s Tale depicts
a World War II traveling circus. Noa saves a Jewish baby from a train on its
way to the camps and Astrid is forced to leave her Nazi husband. Astrid teaches
Noa to soar on the flying trapeze. The writing is second rate and the story,
while well-paced, isn’t satisfying. PP

Kline, Christina Baker, A Piece of the World presents
the story behind Christina, the woman in Andrew Wyeth’s iconic painting
Christina’s World. Wyeth aficionados may be disappointed in the lack of details
about him as the focus is on the imagined Christina’s inner world as a spinster
whose infirmities limit her exposure beyond farm and family. Kline’s empathy
for Christina resonates, but the plot is thin. PP/SN, BC

*Ko, Lisa, The Leavers, a
debut novel, won the 2016 Pen/Bellwether Prize for Fiction addressing issues of
social justice and is a National Book Award finalist. It shows how a young
Chinese boy, whose mother disappeared, leaves New York City and adjusts to
adoption by a naive, caring white couple upstate. The heartbreaking portrait of
a Texas detention center for allegedly illegal immigrants illuminates the
plight of US immigrants. Deming, renamed Daniel, is a masterful character in a
great novel. GPR/SN, BC

*Loory, Ben, Tales of Falling and Flying
feels like a combination of Dr. Seuss and The Twilight Zone. The forty short,
short stories are part parable, part metaphor and 100% imagination and wry
humor. Yes, they’re strange; that’s why they grab our attention and focus us on
things we’ve never noticed. The dodo who tried to be a chicken instead of
himself, the squid who fell in love with the sun and shared everything he had, and
the woman who could fly made me ponder, chuckle, and wonder at Lorry’s talent. Months
after reading these stories, I’m still thinking about that dodo. S/SF, BC

*Machado, Carmen Maria, Her Body and Other Parties is
a debut offering AND a National Book Award finalist. It features a dash of
magical realism, a heavy portion of sexuality, and more imagination and
invention than can be fathomed until you read it. The writing is magnificent.
It’s as if Machado invented a new genre. “The Husband Stitch,” the collection’s
first story, dazzles and unsettles the reader. Her twist on Law & Order SVU
will change how you watch it. G/S, BC

+Mahajan, Karan, The Association of Small Bombs was
a National Book Award finalist and the writing is crisp and searing. Two
brothers are killed by a small bomb in a Delhi marketplace in 1996. Their
12-year-old Muslim friend, Mansoor, escapes with minor injuries. Mansoor starts
college in the US but returns and becomes entwined with activist Ayub. Seeing
events from the point of view of victims and their families and from the
perpetrators forces the reader to live in the darkness. A tough, emotional
ride. G, BC (2016)

*#McBride, Laura, ‘Round Midnight ‘s
Las Vegas setting focuses on four women of different ages, ethnic backgrounds, and
socio-economic status who sacrifice and make decisions based on love and fear.
Masterful pacing, a tension-filled climax, and a credible ending make it a
sure-fire winner. GPR, BC

*#McClain, Bren, One Good Mama Bone,
When Sarah’s neighbor and best friend kills herself just after giving birth to
a son, Sarah raises the child as her own. Not knowing how to be a mother, she
learns from Mama Red, a cow raising a baby calf. When Sarah’s husband dies, she
comes up with an ingenious scheme to save their farm. This 1950s era Southern
gem is simply a fine story with heft. It touched me with its grownup
similarities to Charlotte’s Web. Named
a “Great Group Read” by the Women’s National Book Association for 2017, it’s
perfect for book clubs. GS/GPR/PP, BC

*Ng, Celeste, Little Fires Everywhere, Two
very different mothers, Mia, a wandering, free-spirited artist, and Elena who’s
tied to her hometown and the privilege it offers if you just follow the rules,
offer a portrait of 1990s suburbia. Their teenage children become inseparable
until a battle involving Elena’s childhood friend’s quest to adopt a
Chinese-American baby divides them. You’ll want to read this in one sitting
then ponder its message for days. Tight plotting, conversational tone, and
superb characters make this a winner. Choose it for your book club as you’ll
want to discuss it the minute you finish it. It’s as good as her acclaimed
debut Everything I Never Told You. G/GPR,
BC

*#Omotoso, Yewande, The Woman Next Door explores
the rivalry between two South African women. Hortensia, an 85-year-old,
successful black designer originally from Barbados whose husband is dying, detests
Marion. Marion, an 81-year-old, successful white architect left penniless after
her husband’s recent death, has never liked Hortensia. “It was known that the
two women shared hedge and hatred and they pruned both with a vim that belied
their ages.” Will a catastrophe that throws them together break down the
barriers between them? This novel is enlightening, entertaining, hopeful,
honest and wry. Reading it embeds you in Cape Town as you watch two acerbic
women recall their lives. Named a “Great Group Read” by the Women’s National
Book Association for 2017, it’s perfect for book clubs. Mine loved it. GPR/SBP/SN,
BC

*#Patrick, Phaedra, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a sentimental
novel that will charm you, make you laugh, and brighten your worst day. This
quintessentially British tale explores a father’s relationship with his
children after their mother’s death when he examines their mother’s life before
she met him through the charms he finds on a bracelet he didn’t know his wife
owned. Listen to this on audio as the very British reader is an absolute
delight. D/GPR/RT/SBP (2016)

*Perry, Sarah, The Essex Serpent, a
Costa Award finalist, is set in 19th century England where Cora, a
young widow, takes her 11-year-old son to the seaside and learns that a
mythical sea serpent has returned to the town. Cora uses her knowledge of
science and natural history to investigate and meets the local vicar whose
concern about moral panic and the beliefs of his flock are at odds with her more
scientific views. Yet, the two are drawn to each other. The evocation of the
landscape is gorgeous in this tale that channels Dickens and novels like The Woman in White, Pride and Prejudice, and Wuthering
Heights. GPR/PP/SBP, BC

+Picoult,
Jodi, Small Great Things is
based on the true story of white supremacist parents in Flint, MI who refused
to let an African-American nurse touch their newborn baby. In Picoult’s page-turner,
the baby dies and the nurse is charged with murder. Picoult narrates the story
from three points of view, that of the nurse, of the racist father, and of the
nurse’s white lawyer, a woman struggling with her own response to racism.
Picoult used Debby Irving’s Waking Up
White (see Nonfiction) for much of her information. The story is
provocative and engaging, but the contrived ending is unnecessary. CC/SN, BC (2016)

*Redel, Victoria, Before Everything celebrates
women’s friendships with exquisite prose and beauty. Five “Old Friends” recall
and celebrate their lives as Anna’s lymphoma has returned and she’s under
hospice care. As these funny, fearless, magnificent women celebrate each other,
Redell embeds the reader into their lives. The writing dazzles in a novel that
reminds us of friendship’s power and mortality’s boundaries. This is a book for
women who cherish long-time friendships. What could be better? G/SF, BC

*Rekulak. Jason, The Impossible Fortress
is pure escape, a delightful trip back to the 1980s where a group of
fourteen-year-olds’ antics will make you smile. Will is a geek, a kid who loves
writing code. He and his buddies plan to break into a stationery store, take
copies of the Playboy issue featuring Vanna White, leave payment, and then sell
color copies of Vanna to their friends who, like them, can’t buy the magazine
because they’re too young. When Will cases the store, he meets Mary, the
owner’s daughter, who knows more about programming than he does. Together they
create a computer game for a contest, but everything goes awry. If you recall
BASIC and 80s tunes, this is a must. D/GPR

*#Rooney, Kathleen, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk is an elegantly penned ode to the power of
walking in helping us make connections with ourselves, others, and our
surroundings. Inspired by the life of poet and ad writer, Margaret Fishback,
the highest paid female copywriter in the world in the 1930s, it offers a view
of the world seen by professional women in the twentieth century. An evocative
tale that’s worth reading if just for prose like this. “Among the many
unsurprising facts of life that, when taken in aggregate, ultimately spell out
the doom of our species, is this: People who command respect are never as
widely known as people who command attention.” Rooney’s prose earns our
respect. GPR/SN, BC

+Rose, Augustus, The Readymade Thief explores
an underworld populated by the frightening “Station Master” and a cast of
characters in search of a lost Marcel Duchamp artifact. Lee, a teen who escaped
juvenile detention and a psych ward, works to survive and overcome her
problems. This intriguing debut will make you think. The author, a Professor at
the University of Chicago, is one to watch. S, BC

Ryan, Jennifer, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, A
notice pinned to the Chilbury (England) Village Hall on March 24, 1940, stated:
“As all our male voices have gone to war, the village choir is to close
following Cmdr. Edmund Winthrop’s funeral next Thursday. – The Vicar.”Thus begins a flawed, yet charmingly romantic
tale told in letters and diary entries written by a village of women coming
together in the face of hardship to form a ladies’ choir. Venetia is a
beautiful flirt. Her 13-year-old sister Kitty has the voice of an angel but her
jealousy of Venetia causes major problems. Mrs. Tilling centers the village
with her wise counsel, medical skills, and collegiality. The novel covers too
many issues to handle them all well, yet it’s a tasty escape that anglophiles
may enjoy. D/PP/SBP

+Shattuck, Jessica, The Women in the Castle explores
the lives of three widows at the end of World War II. Marianne, whose husband
was killed after trying to assassinate Hitler, returns to the family’s run-down
Bavarian castle. She invites two other widows of the resistance and their
children to live with her and the women work to survive. The novel evokes the
lives of everyday survivors beautifully. GPR/PP/SN, BC

#Simsion, Graeme, The Best of Adam Sharp
is not the best of Graeme Simsion. A playlist of songs for a romance in two
parts begins with Adam meeting Angelina while playing piano in a pub when he’s
working as an IT consultant in Australia. Fast forward 22 years as the two
reconnect across continents and the story lags. Missing the charm and humor
that made The Rosie Project sing,
this novel is a slog. OC/SBP

+Sloan, Robin, Sourdough
is an intriguing novel that explores the meaning of happiness via a young
computer programmer who begins baking bread after receiving a unique sourdough
starter. S

+Smith Dominic, The Last Painting of Sara De Vos offers
a glimpse of the life of a Dutch female painter in the 1600s. She’s a composite
of several master painters of the era and her tale intersects with that of
Ellie, an art historian in 2000, who’s mounting an exhibit of Dutch women
painters and in 1957 when Ellie forges one of the painter’s work. The last
chapter of this uneven novel is exquisite. PP/SN, BC (2016)

*Sukegawa,
Durian, Sweet Bean Paste is a
philosophical gem featuring Tokue, an elderly disabled woman, who stops at
Sentaro’s confectionary shop. Sentaro, an ex-con, leads a lonely existence
making dorayaki, pancakes filled with sweet bean paste. Tokue’s bean paste is
so delicious it’s almost a magical confection and as she teaches Sentaro how to
make it, their friendship blossoms like the cherry trees outside the shop’s
windows. The revelation of Tokue’s secret exposes her then leads Sentaro to an
understanding of why we all exist. I found this Japanese delight on Words
Without Borders, http://www.wordswithoutborders.org/, a site all readers must
follow. This is a poignant tale that magically avoids the sentimental. I named
a new category after it. GPR/SBP/SF, BC (Published in Japan in 2013, English
translation, 2017)

*#Summie,
Caitlin Hamilton, To Lay to Rest Our
Ghosts is
a collection of ten spare, eloquent, grace-filled stories that offer readers a
mirror into their souls. Itreminds
me of Kent Haruf’s writing in showing the beauty of ordinary people, in the
quiet, composed manner of writing about loss and grieving, in the evocation of
the landscape, and in the way that both authors leave me wanting more. Even if
you think you don’t like short stories, you’ll enjoy these. G/T, BC

+Sykes, Plum, Party Girls Die in Pearls,
See Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers for a treat.

*Tallent, Gabriel, My Absolute Darling features
one of the most evil men in literature and one of the most resourceful girls as
well. Turtle Alveston is fourteen and she cleans her Sig Sauer, her AR-15, and
other guns daily. Her father also has an arsenal of weapons and instilling fear
in everyone is his most valuable. Since Turtle’s mother’s death, she’s relied
on her father for everything and is his “absolute darling.” There’s something
amiss and when Turtle meets Jacob, she begins yearning for the life of a caring
family and friends that she’s never had. The language is brilliant, the
suspense captivating, the setting evocative, and the plot ingenious in this
wonder of a debut novel. I could not put it down. G/GPR, BC

+Tinti, Hannah, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is
a suspense-filled saga that embeds the reader into the lives of Samuel, a
reformed thief, and his daughter Loo. The opening sentences allow the reader a
glimpse of Samuel and Loo’s lives. “When Loo was twelve years old her father
taught her how to shoot a gun. He had a case full of them in his room, others
hidden in boxes around the house.” The title refers to the twelve bullet holes
Samuel carries in his body and how he got them. The novel is an adventure tale
and a love story showing the ways we protect the people we love. GPR, BC

*Umrigar, Thrity, Everybody’s Son
depicts the life of Anton, an African-American boy who enters foster care
expecting his mother to return. David, his wealthy, white foster father, uses
his power to keep Anton to compensate for his grief after the loss of his own
son. When Anton becomes an adult and learns his true story, his identity and beliefs
are challenged. A beautifully told look at racism and fear. GPR, BC

*Van Booy, Simon, Father’s Day
distills the transformative power of love. Your book club must choose this one.
After her parents die, six-year-old Harvey’s magnificent social worker and
Harvey magically transform her angry, one-legged, ex-con uncle into what may be
the perfect father. G/GPR/SF, BC (2016)

*Van Booy, Simon, The Illusion of Separateness tells
tales of growing old, being disfigured by war, serving others, and atoning for
past sins. The stories are woven remarkably into a stunning tapestry of a novel
featuring foreshadowed connections and brilliant writing. Each character is
remarkable. G, BC (2013)

*Ward, Jesmyn, Sing, Unburied Sing shows
Ward’s amazing talent in Salvage the
Bones wasn’t a one-hit wonder. The savage effect of slavery, Jim Crow, and
mass incarceration is made human in the lives of Jojo, Leonie, Mam, Pap, and
their family as they suffer the pain of desperation. This is not a happy book,
because Ward reflects reality. It won the National Book Award as did Salvage. Mississippi’s tortured history
has given us a second Faulker and her name is Jesmyn Ward. Jojo is a perfect
character who forces the reader to care about his world. G/SN, BC

+Weiss, Leah, If the Creek Don’t Rise, In
1970sAppalachia, pregnant teen Sadie’s husband beats her and her family
won’t help her. Three kind women with different skills come to her aid while
the preacher’s sister and her husband exhibit pure evil. The strong characters
keep it from being melodramatic. GS

+Whittall, Zoe, The Best Kind of People, Everyone
loves George Woodbury. He always wins teacher-of-the-year honors at the prep school
where he teaches science and he’s beloved for disarming a man who brought a
rifle into the school. Now charged with sexual misconduct with minors, his life
and the lives of his nurse wife, 17-year-old daughter, and lawyer son are in
ruins. The page-turner shows the effect a sexual crime charge has on a family
and town. Masterful characterizations elevate this. GPR, BC

+Yarbrough,
Steve, The Realm of Lost Chances Kristin
and Cal Stevens, a couple in their fifties, relocate from California to
Massachusetts after she loses her big university job and starts over at a small
college outside Boston. Cal works on their new home and practices his music.
Kristin is soon attracted to her brilliant young neighbor whose sense of
failure and isolation matches hers. Loneliness and temptation lead to moral
dilemmas in this boldly suspenseful tale with fully fleshed characters. GPR, BC
(2013)

Mysteries,
Suspense, and Thrillers

+Castillo, Linda, Among the Wicked is
the eighth in the Kate Burkholder series featuring the police chief of an Ohio
town who grew up Amish. In this entry, Burkholder goes undercover using her
Amish roots to determine why a young girl died in a cult-like New York Amish
sect. Interesting twists keep the reader turning the pages. CC (2016)

*Dionne, Karen, The Marsh King’s Daughter is
a masterful, scintillating, psychological thriller. As Helena tells the story
of growing up in the northern Michigan woods where her kidnapped mother and she
were held in captivity, she also weaves the tale of her current life as a wife,
mother, and happy maker and seller of jams and jellies. As a child, Helena only
knew two other humans, her mother and father. She thought her life was normal
and she loved hunting, fishing, and tracking. What she knew of the world came
from old National Geographic magazines. This gripping mystery is exceptional. I
guarantee it! GPR/CC, BC

*Drew, Alan, Shadow Man
features Ben, a former LA cop now working homicide in his changing hometown
when a serial killer strikes women who don’t lock their doors in this seemingly
bucolic area. Ben’s troubled past make this much more than a simple police
procedural. Ben’s relationships with his ex-wife, his daughter, and Vanessa,
the medical examiner who sees what’s behind his defenses, are superbly drawn. Writing
and voice set this apart from most mysteries. GPR, BC

+Flint, Emma, Little Deaths combines
a noir murder mystery with an atmospheric literary novel set in Queens in 1965.
Ruth, a “loose” woman who drinks too much, wakes up in her apartment to find
that her young children are missing. When both are found dead, a conniving detective
strives to prove that Ruth killed them while cub reporter Pete looks beyond the
obvious. Inspired by a real case, the author portrays Ruth with skill. The
opening is strong, the middle lags somewhat, but sticking with it will offer
the reward of gripping trial scenes. Strong social issues make it one for book
clubs. CC, BC

#Grisham, John, Camino Island starts off with a bang and ends in a
fizzle. Don’t bother with this one. CC

*Highsmith, Patricia, The Talented Mt. Ripley is a classic
mystery. It introduces the disturbingly amoral Tom Ripley who’s sent to Italy
to convince an acquaintance to return to the US. While there, Ripley begins
acting as if he were his friend and will let nothing interfere with his
sinister goals. CC/PP (1955)

+Iles, Greg, The Bone Tree, the
second installment in the Natchez Burning
trilogy,brings back Mayor Penn
Cage and his fiancé Caitlin Masters in a series of unlikely and tantalizing
events. Tying together the Kennedy assassination and a planned State Police
coup after Hurricane Katrina, this 800-pager stretched credulity beyond the
edge but was still entertaining if you
loved Natchez Burning. CC/SN (2015)

+Iles, Greg, Mississippi Blood
completes Iles’ trilogy with a rip-roaring finish via Penn Cage’s father’s
trial for the murder of his former nurse. Sharp characters abound including the
notoriously evil, “worse-than-the-Klan” Double Eagle crew who continue to commit
atrocities only Iles can make come alive. CC/SN

+Johnson, Craig, Death Without Company
begins with Mari Baroja’s death in a nursing home then moves 50 years into her
past in the tight-knit Basque community where Sheriff Longmire finds
connections to a fortune in coal-bed methane and strange family ties. The
second in a smart, literary, compelling series set in Wyoming doesn’t
disappoint and will keep fans of the TV series happy. CC (2006)

Krueger, William Kent, Sulfur Springs is
the sixteenth in the Cork O’Connor series. Cork and his new wife Rainy race to
Arizona in search of her son who’s disappeared. The drug war along the border
and activists trying to help illegal immigrants create an atmosphere of
distrust. Only for series fans. CC

+Masterman, Becky, Fear the Darkness, number
two in the Brigid Quinn series, begins with Brigid’s 17-year-old niece moving
in with Brigid and Carlo. Soon after Gemma-Kate’s arrival, Brigid’s dog is
poisoned as are several parishioners during a church coffee hour. When a church
visitor is found conveniently dead in the outdoor columbarium and Brigid begins
suffering neurological symptoms, she wonders if all are tied to Gemma-Kate and
to the earlier death of a teen. Even Carlo can’t seem to help Brigid. CC/SN (2014)

+Masterman, Becky, Rage Against the Dying is
the first in the Brigid Quinn series and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for
Best First Novel and the CWA Dagger for Best Crime Novel of 2013. Brigid, a sixty-year-old
former FBI agent left the bureau after she accidentally killed a man. A serial
killer is on the loose near her desert home and she may know too much to be
safe. Will her secrets hurt her? CC (2013)

+McCafferty, Keith, Crazy Mountain Kiss
is the fourth in the fly fisherman, artist, detective series set in Montana.
The cave pictographs in this one were an intriguing clue. CC/SN (2015)

*McCafferty, Keith, Buffalo Jump Blues,
the fifth tale in the Sean Stranahan series, is more than a mystery; it’s an
education. While entertaining the reader with the investigation of the ghastly
death of a young Native American amidst the carnage left by a herd of buffalo
tumbling to their demise, it informs the reader about the incongruous plight of
the buffalo. With around 1000 wild Yellowstone bison being legally killed to
reduce their numbers in the park, this tale pitting bison protectors against
others rings true. McCafferty’s smooth prose and gripping story soar. “By the
time Sean glimpsed the house on the hill, the sun had drawn its highlighter
across the horizon. Long lines of birds were backlit in the telephone wires.
Above them, to the east, the striated peaks of Glacier Park brooded above a
gauze of fog.” GPR/SN, BC (2016)

*Miranda, Megan, All the Missing Girls deconstructs
a story Nicolette Farrell thought she’d abandoned when she left her small town
ten years previously when her best friend disappeared. Now engaged to the
perfect man, Nic returns to help with her father and 23-year-old Annaleise disappears.
Miranda backtracks in telling the tale with each chapter focusing on the
previous day allowing readers to fall into Nic’s story. The eerie landscape is
similar to that used by Tana French to mirror the plot. Megan Miranda’s “girls”
are better than Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. CC, BC (2016)

+Miranda, Megan, The Perfect Stranger, Leah
Stevens follows her former roommate Emmy to a small Pennsylvania town after the
implosion of her journalism career. Shortly after Leah begins teaching at the
local high school, a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Leah is found
severely beaten and left for dead near Leah’s home -- then Emmy disappears.
When Leah reports Emmy’s disappearance, there’s no evidence that Emmy exists
and the plot turns. Gillian Flynn fans and lovers of unreliable narrators will
devour this page-turner. CC, BC

*Penny, Louis, Glass Houses
is the thirteenth tale in the magnificent saga of Superintendent Gamache and
crime in Quebec. This time Gamache is testifying in a murder trial and things
smell fishy. Once again, Penny elevates homicide to a moral and psychological
dilemma and allows the light to shine. GPR, BC

+Roy, Lori, Let Me Die in His Footsteps
is based on the last legal hanging in the US and told from the viewpoint of two
generations of Kentucky women in 1936 and 1952 when a dead body is found and
secrets revealed. The characters are strong and unique. CC/PP (2015)

+Silvis, Randall, Two Days Gone is a literary mystery with complex twists. When critically
acclaimed, best-selling author Thomas Huston’s wife and three young children
are found brutally murdered and he’s missing, nothing makes sense. No one
including State Police Sgt. Ryan DeMarco, who has advised Huston on procedure
for his novels, thinks that the author and beloved college professor could have
committed murder, but why is he hiding and why do clues point to him? Telling
the tale from both DeMarco and Huston’s viewpoints highlights their similarities
and sorrows. GPR

+Sykes, Plum, Party Girls Die in Pearls Fashion
journalist Sykes skewers the posh party girls and boys of 1980s Oxford as her
heroine solves a whodunit. Fashion fun makes this a frothy treat. CC/D

*Tallent, Gabriel, My Absolute Darling, see
Fiction for a description of a magnificent, suspense-filled, character-driven
thriller of a debut novel with a truly evil father and his gritty, resourceful
daughter. G/GPR, BC

*Ward. Jesmyn, Sing Unburied Sing deservedly
won this year’s National Book Award for fiction. That this young woman has now
won two fiction NBAs is rare, yet this and her previous novel Salvage the Bones are that exceptional.

+Ziskin, James W. No Stone Unturned. Ellie
Stone, a 24-year-old reporter on a small-town newspaper in 1960, gets no
respect until she begins investigating the murder of the beautiful daughter of
a local judge in a seedy motel. The book makes the reader feel the
discrimination working to stop Ellie and her grit and determination in
overcoming it to find the killer. GPR/PP (2014)

Nonfiction

+Bergner, Daniel, Sing for Your Life:
A Story of Race, Music, and Family details Ryan Speedo Green’s rise from life
as a kid in solitary confinement at age 12 to transcending his horrific
environment to become a singer at the Metropolitan Opera. His success exemplifies
Mr. Rogers’ adage about remembering “the helpers.” Teachers who fought for and
encouraged Green made the difference between his ability to make it and what
sadly might have been. SN/SF, BC (2016)

*#Bui, Thi, The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir shows what
it’s like to be an immigrant in the U.S. while evoking the Viet Nam War’s
legacy. It also illustrates the way love and parenthood change our view of our
parents and ourselves. This magnificent graphic memoir offers hope over fear.
GPR/SN, BC

*Ford, Richard, Between Them: Remembering My Parents is a two-part
reminiscence of author Richard Ford’s parents. He paints concise portraits of
each parent and of their being a unit that he, an only child, invaded. His
remembrances express his keen eye for details and his deep love for his parents.
G/T, BC

*Gay, Roxane, Hunger is a searing remembrance of a horrific assault and how
it influenced Gay’s life. When she was 12, Gay was gang-raped by boys her age.
She hid the attack and buried her guilt feelings toward herself which led to
her hunger and then to her weight gain. Gay offers a mesmerizing, yet
frightening tale. I read it straight through and almost forgot to breathe. It’s
both sad and riveting. G/SN, BC

+Good, Phyllis, Stock the Crock: 100 Must-Have Slow-Cooker Recipes is a useful,
basic cookbook that would make a great gift for a new cook or someone learning
to use a slow cooker. SN

*Grann, David, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, a finalist
for the National Book Award, tells the “truth is stranger than fiction” tale of
the murders of wealthy Osage Indians in the 1920s when they were among the
wealthiest people in the U.S. due to oil on their land. As their death toll
rose, the newly formed FBI took over the corrupt investigation. Couldn’t put it
down! G/SN, BC

*Haedrich, Ken, The Harvest Baker: 150 Sweet & Savory
Recipes Celebrating the Fresh-Picked Flavors of Fruits, Herbs & Vegetables is
a gorgeous book filled with tempting and useful recipes for everyday and special
events. Haedrich, the “Dean of the Pie Academy” is the king of crusts. A delectable
winner! SN

*#Irving, Debby, Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race is a book
every American must read. Learning about race and privilege through Irving’s
story will inform your own view. My church spent four weeks discussing it and
over sixty participants found it exceptional. I also was part of a discussion
of it in northern Michigan where fifty women found it informative and
important. SN, BC(2014)

+Kaling, Mindy, Why Not Me? is a perfect audio as Kaling narrates
her own tale of rising fame, friendship, and the dedication and humor needed to
succeed in show business. RT/S(2015)

+King, Carole, A Natural Woman chronicles King’s life from her start
as a kid in New York to her rise to becoming one of the greatest composers and
musical artists of all time. Her personal life took twists that inform much of
her music but that stifled her creativity at times. RT/SN (2012)

*Markham, Beryl, West with the Night is a classic for a reason. I reread it
for a book club and found that Markham’s incredible life story as a pilot and
horse trainer still dazzles. SBP/SN (1942, Intro 2013)

*#Nutt, Amy Ellis, Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an
American Family chronicles an American family’s life as one of their identical
twin toddler boys begins insisting that he’s a girl. Their stories of love and
acceptance are exquisitely told. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author transforms
their tale into a page-turner that educates as it captures the reader. When an
endocrinologist asks his transgender patient to teach him, the patient says,
“Sexual orientation is who you go to bed with . . . Gender identity is who you
go to bed as.” Combining biology,
research, and compelling stories, this soars. We had thirty people at a recent
discussion of this at my church and all felt it to be excellent. G/GPR/SN, BC
(2015)

+Pavlovitz, John, A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual
Community explores the disconnect between many of today’s churches
that profess love yet practice exclusion. Pushing for radical hospitality,
authenticity, diversity, and an agenda-free community, Pavlovitz asks
Christians to build a loving redemptive community that welcomes the LGBTQ
community. This book is an excellent vehicle for sparking discussions in a
church or elsewhere. SF, BC

+Philp, Drew, A
$500 House in Detroit: Rebuilding an Abandoned Home and an American City
shows one young man’s quest to build community and overcome racism in a
crime-ridden, neglected area of Detroit that the gentrification efforts have
ignored. Philp’s story is maddening and inspirational. SN, BC

+Schwalbe, Will, Books for Living is a tribute to books that enter our
lives when we need them. Readers of Schwalbe’s spectacular The End of Your Life Book Club will appreciate his suggestions of
titles that address our desire to live full and meaningful lives. His
enthusiasm for Lin Yutang’s The Importance of
Living is contagious. I delighted in
learning of several relatively unknown books he introduces and I concur with
his take on most of the books we’ve both read. GPR/SN

+Stanton, Tom, Terror in the City of Champions: Murder,
Baseball, and the Secret Society that Shocked Depression-Era Detroit combines
crime, sports, and the 1930s history of Detroit in a fast-moving package. The
baseball sections are the most compelling, but current and former Detroit
residents will want to read the historical documentation of the Black Legion
that threatened Detroit in the 1930s. SN, BC (2016)

*Steinbeck, John, Travels with Charley is a book I
read about ten years ago with a book club. When another book club chose to
discuss it this year, I listened to the audio version. Gary Sinise’s
straight-forward narration made me feel that I was riding along with Mr.
Steinbeck and his bleu poodle Charley across America in 1960. The country isn’t
the same so some language wouldn’t be acceptable if written today, but this is
a journey everyone should take to see the country we were. RT/SN, BC (1963)

*Ward, Jesmyn,The Fire This Time: A New
Generation Speaks About Race is a mesmerizing anthology of essays and
poems inspired by James Baldwin’s The Fire This
Time
that speaks to the power of words to address the horrors of living in a country
where the killings in Charleston and the brutality suffered by
African-Americans for simply walking down the street aren’t recognized. Listen
to this! G/SN/RT (2016)

+Daywalt, Drew, Jeffers, Oliver,
illustrator, The Crayons’ Book of Colors is based on The Day the Crayons Quit and is a clever
concept book teaching color for toddlers and preschoolers. PBJ, Ages 2 – 5
(2016)

*Hills, Tad, Duck & Goose find a polka-dotted ball they assume
is an egg then try to help hatch in a humorous story of friendship that
thankfully has several sequels. PBJ Ages 2 - 6 (2006, board book 2017)

*Naberhaus, Sarvinder, Beck, Melinda,
illustrator, Lines is a STEM book
that starts with a simple line and ends with the entire universe while
demonstrating via spare, lovely words just how lines, circles, squares, and the
universe work. Toddlers will enjoy this as they learn effortlessly. I love this
book. PBJ/SN, Ages 1-4

+Van Fleet, Matthew, Tails offers fun
things to touch that are furry, slippery, and stinky. This is more of a toy
than a book, but toddlers will love the tactile sensations. PBJ Ages 1 – 3 (2003)

*Yoon,Salina, Do Cows Meow? My grandson
adores this book so much that I almost hate to suggest it as I confess, I’m
sick to death of reading it although I secretly love it. When he was 9 month’s
old, I would read it then attempt to read another book and he’d grab it and
refuse to let go till I read it again, and again . . . It’s the perfect choice
for a new baby if not for parents or grandparents. PBJ Ages 9 months – 4 (2012)

Peanut Butter
and Jelly - Preschool Favorites

Cordell, Matthew, Wish is a glimpse into the joy that comes to those who have had
difficulty having children. This is almost more of a book for parents, yet it’s
also perfect for a child learning his own story. PBJ/SF, Ages 3 – 5

*Litwin, Eric, Lichtenheld, Tom,
illustrator, Groovy Joe: Ice Cream &
Dinosaurs is by the author of the Pete the Cat series. Groovy Joe loves his doggy ice cream but along
comes a BIG dinosaur who takes out a spoon, puts on a bib, and pulls up a
chair. “What did Joe say? It’s awesome to share! And everyone sang . . . Love
my doggy ice cream.” This book will appeal to children and the adults reading
to them as it’s funny without being annoying. PBJ Ages 1 - 7 (2016)

*Naberhaus, Sarvinder, Nelson, Kadir,
illustrator, Blue Sky, White Stars is a
joy-filled ode to the flag and to patriotism for all. The illustrations are
exquisite. Grandparents will enjoy sharing this. PBJ/SN, Ages 4-8

*Willems, Mo, Nannette’s Baguette, When a little frog named Nannette goes
to a French village bakery to buy a baguette by herself, she’s almost “beset
with regret” and finds herself “wet with no baguette.” Rhymes, color, and
happiness exude in this gem that helps kids understand that making mistakes is
part of life. PBJ Ages 3 - 6

Peanut Butter
and Jelly – Chapter Books

*Clary, Julian, The Bolds is more fun than a pack of hyenas
especially when those hyenas masquerade as humans who move to England, obtain
jobs, and raise a family. It’s difficult to find appropriate chapter books that
are simply fun to read. Many are too emotionally difficult for children who
read well. The Bolds will appeal to
avid and reluctant readers. A Shelf Awareness “Best Book of 2016” PBJ/SPB Ages
8 – 11 (2016)

*Kelley, Erin Entrada, The Land of Forgotten Girls is just the
book for the neglected 10 – 12-year-old market. Sol and her sister move from
the Philippines to Louisiana then their father skips town leaving them with
their evil stepmother. They learn who and how to trust in this charmer. PBJ,
Ages 9–12. (2016)

*#Bates, Laura, Girl Upis
brilliant, bold, profane, sarcastic, and just what teenage girls and young
women deserve to have in their corner. If you’re a parent, teacher, counselor,
or just someone who cares about the future of girls, read this book. The “f”
word, slang words for genitalia, and some statements and drawings may bother
some adults but it isn’t for them; it’s for teens. DC/SN/S Ages
13 and up

*#Bui, Thi, The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir, (see
Nonfiction) is an adult novel but teens should read it to learn about the Viet
Nam War and about immigrant assimilation. This magnificent graphic memoir
offers hope that annihilates fear. GPR/SN, BC Ages 14 and up

*Green, John, Turtles All the Way Down explores teen anxiety like nothing
I’ve ever read. Thankfully, John Green has written a novel that teens will read
just because he wrote it and that many teens, parents, teachers, and mental
health professionals will find to be a lifesaver. Aza has thoughts that she
can’t control. She knows that thoughts are not actions, but that doesn’t help
on bad days. Aza’s friend Daisy loves Aza and her spirit. When a billionaire
disappears, Aza and Daisy decide to seek the reward using Aza’s connection to
the missing man’s son. Read this book! G/DC/SN, BC

*Reynolds, Jason, Long Way Down begins when fifteen-year-old Will‘s
brother Shawn is killed and Will feels like “the ground opened up and ate him.”
Most of the book takes place in the sixty-seven seconds after Will finds
Shawn’s gun then rides the elevator downstairs while deciding whether to murder
Shawn’s killer as he encounters ghosts from his life on each floor. Told in
dazzling, staccato free verse, this book will help you comprehend teen gun
violence. Listen to the author read it for even more of an impact. I listened to
it and read it and gained from both experiences.

G/RT/SF/SN, BC

*Roe, Robin, A List of Cages is a gripping debut that will have you
holding your breath as you fly through the pages. Adam is one of the most
popular kids in school. Julian isn’t. But Adam, a senior, has a connection to
weird freshman Julian. Julian lived with Adam and his mother in a foster care
situation after Julian’s parents died, then Julian’s uncle showed up and took
him away. What’s happening at Julian’s house? Why does he miss so much school?
What’s happening with Adam’s friends? DC, Ages 13 and up

*Sepetys, Ruta, Salt to the Sea, Inspired by the true tragedy of the
sinking
of theWilhelm Gustloff, the greatest maritime disaster in
history, Sepetys shares four teens’ secrets and stories during the evacuation
at the end of World War II. Exquisitely written, this will appeal to all
readers.“War had bled color from everything,
leaving nothing but a storm of gray.” DC/GPR/SN, BC, Ages 13 and up(2016)

+Silvera, Adam, More Happy Than Not, Aaron Soto is sixteen. His father
committed suicide and Adam failed in his attempt to do the same. His worries
about being gay and a beating to set him “straight” lead to searing
revelations. The futuristic possibility of a memory-erasing operation will
appeal to teens. Silvera’s strong characters and action contribute to the
emotional pull of the story. DC, Ages 14 and up (2015)

*Spinelli, Jerry, The Warden’s Daughter is a spirited ode to grief as suffered
by a twelve-year-old “tough” girl who lives in a large jail and who wishes
Eloda, the trustee who cares for her, her father, and their apartment, could be
her mother. It’s set in 1959 in Two Mills, PA, the setting of Spinelli’s Maniac Magee. Spinelli continues to
capture the way kids act and thus he grabs and holds their attention. The twist
at the end of this marvel is poignant and powerful. DC/PP Ages 10–14

*Thomas, Angie, The Hate U Give is a riveting glimpse at today’s world
where young African-Americans lose their lives in senseless police shootings.
Sixteen-year-old Starr watches as a policeman shoots her friend. She can’t
figure out how to survive in two separate worlds – the impoverished area where
she lives and the elite suburban prep school she attends. If you want to
understand the Black Lives Matter movement, read this. The novel’s title comes
from a Tupac acronym for “thug life” meaning “The Hate U Give Little Infants,
F---s Everybody.” This would be the perfect companion to All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brandon Kiely.DC/SN, BC Ages 13 and up

About Me - Trina Hayes

Connecting people with books they'll love is what I do. I lead three book clubs and participate in another. I speak about books to library, university, social and civic groups and I'd love to speak to your gathering. My annual book list of the more than 100 books I read and review every year comes out every November. Find past lists on the pages listed below. Because I'm always hungry for good books, I categorize the books on the lists and on my posts by food groups as explained in the review categories listed below.

Contact me with questions or about hiring me to speak at trinabookhungry@gmail.com or by posting a comment on one of my reviews.